Thunder over Louisville

This throwback Thursday is dedicated to Louisville.  (By the way, it's not pronounced LOUIE-ville like most people say that are not natives of the city, I learned that very quickly).  Danny grew up in Louisville and among the many times we visited over the last few years, my first visit to the area was very memorable.  It was also the first weekend with Danny's parents and boy was I nervous! We had been dating for a few months at this point and I had met them in person only once.  After all was said and done, we had an amazing experience and I bonded with Danny's parents and friends so much after that weekend.

We visited Louisville in the spring of 2012.  They have a little event called the Kentucky Derby in early May, so they have a big kickoff to the festivities called Thunder over Louisville (side note: I think I need to add "Go to a Kentucky Derby party" to my 30 before 30 list.  I want to buy a big hat so bad!)  Danny had always been in Louisville for this event and he had a few friends that had houses near the firework extravaganza.  Also, its important to mention that Thunder over Louisville is unlike any other firework show you have ever seen.  I made the mistake of telling Danny I had been to firework shows before when he was telling me about it, but he corrected me very quickly saying that Thunder over Louisville was different.  Turns out it is the largest annual firework show held in North America!

The first day we were in Louisville, Danny took me to a local winery by his parent's house, Huber's Winery.  Boy, did he know me well, right? I ended up loving it and we go back to Huber's every time we are in Louisville! We also tend to buy 56 bottles of wine to take home with us, because we never know when we'll be back and we don't want to run out!

Danny and me wine tasting at Huber's.

We bought a bottle and ate some cheese and crackers. Typical.

The next day was fireworks day.  We got up early to meet some of his friends at their houses.  Luckily, we met them the night before at dinner, so I was already pretty comfortable with who everyone was.  We started at Danny's friend, Adam and his girlfriend, Emily's house.  Adam is one of Danny's best friends and he was the best man at our wedding.  We had a great time at their house meeting friends from Danny's high school and getting ready for the festivities.  I also hung out with Danny's friend, Doug who would become one of his groomsmen at our wedding.  Doug is fun, outgoing, and the life of the party.  He always makes me laugh so we bonded instantly.

At Adam and Emily's house.

Boys take really good pictures (Doug, Adam, and Danny)

Me and Doug

After spending some time with Adam, we headed to Danny's other friends house, Kris and Kathryn.  Kathryn and Danny have been friends since elementary school and I always heard such good things about her since she was one of Danny's closest friends.  Kathryn is the sweetest southern belle you will ever meet.  Kathryn's boyfriend, Kris is one of Danny's closest friends and he was also a groomsmen at our wedding (sensing a theme?).  Kris and Kathryn's place was so much fun.  We played numerous rounds of flip cup (one of my favorites) and I got to know all the girls really well.

At Kris and Kathryn's.  I'd also like to note that I thought Danny was behind me in this picture and I thought that was his arm around me until I turned around and it wasn't...

Me and Danny by the river.

After a full day of drinking which mind you I hadn't done since college, we finally got to see some fireworks!

All in all it was a great weekend getting to know Danny's parents and friends better.  It is one that I will never forget and we hope to go back for Thunder over Louisville sometime in the future.

The day we left Louisville.

Danny with his childhood dog, Pebbles.

I've added this vacation to our travel adventures page, check out some of the other places we've visited together.

Our trip to Boston

So since Danny and I travel pretty frequently, I decided to use throwback Thursdays to highlight some of the trips we've been on that haven't been covered in the blog.  One of my favorites and our very first vacation together was to Boston, MA in May of 2012. 

Danny and I first started dating a few months earlier and I remember when Danny brought up the idea. I was so excited because it meant that me and my boyfriend were traveling to an exciting, unknown place (this was during the short time that we were actually boyfriend/girlfriend and not engaged yet).  Danny was working with the Cleveland Indians and much like he did when he worked with the Cincinnati Reds, he wanted to work a road game with the Indians while exploring the city.  We finally settled on Boston since I had never been there and Danny had only visited once when he was really young.

Our flight took off at 6 am (meaning we had to get to the airport by 4 am), we ended up oversleeping!! Danny was freaking out the entire drive to the airport and I was starting to see his true colors (just kidding!).  Boston was actually the first time I realized I was dating a man that had similar characteristics to my father.  Growing up, my dad would always freak out whenever we had to travel and Danny was the EXACT same way!

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time and got to Boston around mid morning.  We took the train from the airport to our hotel, Longwood Inn located in Brookline, MA right outside the city.  The hotel was amazing and was set up more like a Bed & Breakfast.  It was in a beautiful part of town and Danny and I loved Brookline for its charm and location!

The first night, we settled in and Danny went off to work.  I met him after the game for a beer at a bar near our hotel.  I also got to meet one of his coworkers, Jordan who is a beat writer for the Indians and travels with them when they're on the road.

The next day started our adventure in Boston.  We decided to take the train into Boston Commons and get the Freedom Tour of the downtown Boston area and the historical significance.  Our tour guide, who was dressed like a man of those times, took us through a lot of historical areas in Boston including the Granary Burying Ground where Sam Adams and John Hancock are buried as well as the site of the Boston Massacre.  Overall, this tour was amazing and I highly recommend it if you are visiting the area.

Us in Boston Commons, where the Freedom tour began.

Granary Burying Ground.

The site of the Boston Massacre.

Next, we wandered around the area and came across a few shops and restaurants.  We decided to eat at Beantown Pub which was located directly across from the Granary Burying Ground.

Beantown Pub, Downtown Boston.

After eating lunch and touring Boston, we ended up near Fenway Park for dinner and out to some local bars after that.

The next day was by far one of my favorite days ever! Although it was a long day, it was so much fun.  We started with a taxi ride to Sam Adams Brewery and went for a tour where we got to sample four glasses of Sam Adams Beer.  After the tour, there was a free trolley ride to the first restaurant to sell Sam Adams beer called, Doyle's Cafe.  It was no ordinary trolley that took us to Doyle's.  It had loud music and even a stripper pole.  I loved watching people's faces on the streets of the neighborhoods we traveled through.  It was an amazing experience.

Sam Adams Brewery.

Danny and me before the tour started.

Our tour guide was AMAZING!

Barrels of Beer.

Me and Danny trying the samples.

The Trolley to Doyle's!

Danny and I decided to keep the party going and stop by some local bars/pubs near our hotel in Brookline.  I have good memories of these moments since it's when we first started talking about marrying each other!!

Later that night we headed down to the bar area and met up with one of Danny's friends from when he played little league.  After her and her friend had left, it was nearing closing time.  We had basically been drinking all day so I was ready to go home.  Danny left me to use the restroom and I had noticed that he was taking longer than usual.  Because of the alcohol and the nerves of being in a new city, I started to get myself upset that he was not back yet.  After 10-15 minutes, he returned to our table.  I was upset that he had been gone for so long and then he explained to me that he was talking to his dad on the phone about us and how he wanted to marry me.  At that point, all my prior feelings were pushed aside and I was overfilled with joy.  That night will be one that I will never forget.

The next day was our last day in Boston before flying back to Cleveland.  Danny's cousin, Kristen and her friend were meeting us in Boston.  This was my first time meeting her.  Since Danny grew up as an only child, he was very close to his cousins especially Kristen.  After meeting her that day, I realized that they even act like brother and sister instead of cousins.  Fast forward a few months when Danny and I got engaged, I happily asked Kristen to be a bridesmaid in our wedding since she is such a big part of Danny's life!

Fenway Park.

Danny with his cousin, Kristen.

Me and Danny at Fenway.

Halfway through the game we had to leave to catch our flight home.  Boston was an amazing trip and I cannot wait to go back.



Weekend at the Lake

This weekend Danny and I headed to the lake with the puppy dog to visit Danny's parents, Doug and Kathy.  Kathy grew up visiting her grandparents at the lake and 30 years later, her and Doug decided to visit family members that still live at the lake last year. They loved it and decided to look into buying a lake house so they could have somewhere to visit in the summer. They bought the house last October so this is our first time spending a summer at the lake! We have so much fun up at the lake and this weekend was no different!

View from my kayak of the lake.

We started with a night of grilling out when we arrived Friday. Kathy got ingredients to make our own kabobs! They were delicious!

Kabobs and pasta salad.

Weight Watcher Peach cobbler. 

We had a busy Saturday. We started off with heading to one of my favorite places called, Campbell Pottery Store. They feature a lot of handmade pieces and creative art. We found a beautiful vase to add to our dining room/kitchen area. After we shopped, we headed to the art gallery where they were having the Lily Art Show. It featured local artists pieces that resembled Lilies. All the art was beautiful and it was neat since Kathy's cousin, Kathy Travis is among those local artists. She received an honorable mention for her beautiful watercolor.

Campbell Pottery Store

Campbell Pottery Store

Danny with our new vase.

Energy-Frequency-Vibration by Kathryn E. Travis

After the art show, we explored some of the little shops around town and got something to eat.

Posing in front of the city sign like tourists.

Danny and me at lunch.

After walking around town, we picked up the dogs and took them for a walk around the lake. Danny's parent's dog, Oscar is a black lab and loves to go swimming. We took them to the boat ramp to let Oscar swim and surprisingly enough Yogi got in too!! Our dog has been deathly afraid of any type of water (shower, pool, rain, etc.) so this was a mini miracle in my eyes and gave me hope for the future.

Danny walking Yogi to the lake.

Yogi watching Oscar swim in the lake.

Yogi in the lake!

After the puppy swim, we headed to dinner at the Sunset Grill which is an amazing restaurant that overlooks the lake. They had live music too so it was a nice and relaxing environment!

The view from dinner at Sunset Grill.

Kathy and Doug at dinner.

Once we returned home, I convinced Danny and Doug to go kayaking with me. Danny, being an avid blog reader, mentioned that we should go "cabrewing" since he knows it's on my 30 Before 30 list! What a great hubby! So we got in our kayaks with our beer (our kayaks even had a cup holder, it was perfect!) and set out camera in hand to explore the lake. This was special to me because I got to capture and share the amazing views that I see every time I go out on the lake. Below are some of the pictures I captured and even includes an amazing photo that my father-in-law took of me and Danny watching the sunset!

Danny in the kayak.

CABREWING!

Danny out on the lake.

Me on the lake.

Danny cabrewing.

Me and Danny.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!